Anti-Piracy

What is Piracy?

The copying and/or distribution of software for personal and/or business use without the authorization of the copyright holder. Software piracy is considered an act of copyright infringement and the infringer can face legal ramifications. Educating yourself about different types of piracy will prevent you from becoming a victim of not only piracy, but perhaps a victim of identity theft or other crimes.

Software Piracy is Expensive Business

Every year billions of dollars of revenue is lost as a result of software piracy. In 2007, according to a global study conducted on behalf of the BSA, the total losses sustained by the software industry as a direct result of software piracy were in excess of 40 billion dollars worldwide.

What many fail to realize is that the harmful effects of software piracy reach far beyond the software publisher. While software manufacturers certainly feel the crunch, our channel partners and most importantly, our customers suffer as well.

Software Piracy

Software is one of the most valuable technologies of the Information Age, running everything from personal computers to the internet. Unfortunately, because software is so valuable and because computers make it easy to create an exact copy of a program in seconds, software piracy is a widespread problem. Software piracy is the illegal copying or distribution of a copyrighted software program. There are five common types of software piracy and the bottom line is that software piracy has serious consequences.

Unfortunately, it can be all too easy for a consumer to purchase counterfeit or other unauthorized software. Consumers who purchase such unauthorized software, either through online stores, auction sites, or brick and mortar storefronts, have no right to use or redistribute the software that they receive. In addition, consumers face significant risks when using unauthorized software. Counterfeit software could contain viruses or other malicious code that can damage computers or lead to identity theft. Counterfeit software also might be corrupted or defective, which can ruin a hard drive, costing consumers more money in terms of repair services. Illegitimate software also does not come with proper manuals, warranties or support services. To help protect consumers and to safeguard its intellectual property rights, Symantec investigates and takes aggressive measures to stop instances of piracy on a global basis.